Fears wet season downpour could spread problem

David James Harvey, a Yanyuwa man, said he was angry at what the impact on the environment could be if the problem was not addressed soon.

"Our generation and our grandfathers been fighting for this country to keep it together now they've come and destroyed this country," Mr Harvey said.

It is not the first time traditional owners from the area have clashed with the mine.

In 2007 and 2008, they won Supreme and Federal Court cases against Northern Territory and Federal Government plans to allow the mine's former owners to plough through the Rainbow Serpent Dreaming site and the McArthur River, before the court decisions were overruled.

Another Garawa man, Keith Rory, said he was worried about what the mine could do to the McArthur River if the combustion was not stopped.

When iron sulphide meets water it becomes corrosive sulphuric acid.

"If you get a big rain, a very big one, that will vanish down," Mr Rory said.

"Where is is going to go? To the creeks and down this river."

New EIS could be two years away

The chair of the NT's Environment Protection Authority, Dr Bill Freeland, said the company recognised the risk of damaging the environment.

The company had been asked to carry out another Environmental Impact Statement to show how it is going to address the problem.

"If it was allowed to continue and the mine continued producing waste rock and it was not managed, the potential for harm for the whole McArthur River and potentially out into the seagrass beds in the Pellew Islands is potentially significant," Dr Freeland said.

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